About us
Our founder's story
Hi! I’m Elysian (Elle) Fyre, the founder and Managing Director of Nirvanas Arts Collective. As an artist who is chronically ill and autistic, I know firsthand how isolating the creative world can be. I spent years navigating severe ill health while trying to maintain my practice, which exposed massive gaps in the creative industry for neurodivergent and disabled artists.
I founded this disability-led collective to change that. I believe you shouldn't have to choose between managing your health and building a successful creative career that works for you, no matter where your health is at. Our community is designed to protect your energy, prevent burnout, and give you a safe, structured space to thrive on your own terms.
Our mission: Redefining creative careers
At Nirvana's Arts Collective, our mission is to dismantle the barriers facing neurodivergent and disabled artists. We bridge the gap between creative skill, sustainable business development, and genuine community.
We look at your business through both a personal and professional lens. We believe disabled artists deserve the opportunity to expand their financial and occupational independence while fully nurturing their physical, emotional, and social well-being.
Through our tailored membership tiers, we offer plain-English business resources, live accountability sessions, and 1:1 strategic mentoring designed to meet your specific pacing and access needs. We are here to help "hidden" artists bring their work to the forefront of the creative sector.
We also provide creative community services in our local area and the surrounding towns and cities. Whilst our Collective operates online, we work with our local community through engaging and transformative projects designed with creative health in mind.
How we work: Our social impact
Based in Sheffield and operating UK-wide, Nirvanas Arts Collective is a non-profit organisation run by Elle and small team of disabled individuals. Because we operate as a social economy, 100% of our funds go right back into our community. We believe in the creation of a social economy where economic gain goes towards supporting the most marginalised communities.
Your fees directly fund our projects and creates financially accessible memberships for those facing financial hardship.
Meet the Team
Founder & Managing Director
Elysian (Elle) Fyre
They/she
Elysian Fyre is the founder and Managing Director of Nirvanas Arts Collective CIC and has lived experience of chronic illness, disability and neurodivergence. Elle lives with their wife in Sheffield, having moved from Derby, after completing an undergraduate degree in Creative Expressive Arts in Health and Wellbeing. Elle has always been creative, and in their teenage years took up hand embroidery as a way of coping with being housebound and their declining health. Elle is responsible for the everyday running of the organisation and aims to eradicate inequality and bring their passion of the arts to everything they do.
Director
Bri Holecza
She/they
Bri is a director of Nirvanas Arts Collective and has lived experience of chronic illness and disability. They are trained to a high level in their music studies and completed an undergraduate degree in Creative Expressive Arts in Health and Wellbeing at the University of Derby. She is passionate about the arts for health and wellbeing, particularly in the area of music to cope with the challenges of disability. Bri supports with the administrative duties and brings lots of ideas to achieve the future ambitions of the organisation.
Director
Joe Robbins
He/him
Joe is a director of Nirvanas Arts Collective, he has epilepsy and several other mental health conditions. He has a masters in cancer biology and an undergraduate in biomedical science but his true passion is helping disabled people reach their full potential. He can relate to a wider variety of neurodivergent people through having experience with genetic autism and ADHD. Joe supports with administrative duties and hopes to help the Collective achieve all it can in its future endeavours.
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Director
Rosie Mayes
She/her
Rosie is a director at Nirvanas Art Collective and is passionate about helping to make creativity accessible for disabled and neurodivergent artists. Since sustaining a spinal cord injury in 2009, Rosie has been quadriplegic, and this journey has opened up a new appreciation of discovering creativity, despite physical limitations. She returned to university after her injury and has a degree in History. She loves art, music and writing, and supports people with disabilities to travel by working to create accessible holidays.
Our values
Equity
We believe equality can only be achieved through equitable interventions and projects.
Diversity
We aim to represent the many communities and voices within the services we provide.
Inclusion
Inclusion should go beyond just eradicating the physical barriers that impact inclusion, but make individuals and communities feel fully included through considerations of all individual needs, the language used, and acceptance of identities and differing life experiences.
Resistance
In the face of exclusive and oppressive structures, NAC strives to resist social and political change that negatively impacts the health, wellbeing and identities of disabled individuals and marginalised cultures and identities. NAC believes positive, beneficial change will only come about if communities resist and object to negative change.
Accountability
NAC strives to continually reflect on the actions and behaviours of those that operate within NAC that may harm or have a negative impact on individuals, communities and the environment. Through this we show that we value marginalised voices within oppressive structures.
Social Economy
We believe in creating a social economy that uplifts marginalised groups and supports sustainable economic development which creates real world positive impact to disadvantaged groups.
Individualism
NAC aims to see staff, directors, volunteers and individuals that use NAC services as individuals with their own perspectives, experiences, identities, cultures and communities.
Co-production
Those with lived experience are experts in their own experience. Those with lived experience should be centered in the decisions NAC make as they bring invaluable ideas and contributions to the direction of services.